BBC to open up its Writers’ Academy to non-professionals

The BBC is to throw open the doors of its Writers’ Academy to anyone who wants to have a shot at writing for television, in a move dubbed “X Factor for writers”.

In the past, only professional screenwriters have been allowed to apply to the academy, but in a bid to bring in voices from different backgrounds any budding writer will be able to try to follow in the footsteps of previous winners such as Killing Eve and The Victim writer Rob Williams.

The eight successful applicants will write for BBC Studios’ biggest shows such as EastEnders and Casualty, have lectures from writers such as Line of Duty’s Jed Mercurio and Years and Years writer Russell T Davies and get three months of paid training.

The move may be welcomed by those in self-isolation due to the coronavirus outbreak who are looking for something to focus on. Recently, stories have been shared about the creativity that has emerged from historical quarantines. William Shakespeare is thought to have penned King Lear during a plague outbreak and Sir Isaac Newton reportedly discovered gravity while in quarantine.

The head of the BBC Studios Writers’ Academy, John Yorke, said writing could help people cope with anxiety.

“It’s easy to be simplistic about this, but I think if people do have time on their hands and the urge to write, then writing is an incredibly good process for mental health and taking your mind off some of the wider anxieties that people are clearly going to face.

“It’s a great way of ordering your mind and thoughts but also allows you to cope with the wider anxieties in a way that could be very beneficial.”

He continued: “I think it’s fascinating, if you look back at any vaguely comparable situation, what people are looking for is escapism, joy and entertainment … you look back at the BBC’s output during the war and it was light entertainment that people remember and got people through.

“We’re obviously not going to judge it on that, but every year you see different kinds of stories – there’s always recurring themes, or society changes, and I’m sure we’ll see that.”

Yorke added that the Writers’ Academy has often been sent good but ineligible scripts in the past by non-professional writers, which had prompted the change: “At a time when it’s harder than ever for new writers to break in, this course allows writers from less privileged backgrounds to get their first important step into television.”

“One voice … can transform a company, script or a programme, so if we can find them, as I think that’s very much the BBC’s job, that’s a really good thing to do.”

Applicants will be whittled down by a team of script experts and the winners will have their work optioned by BBC Studios. With drama and comedy booming following the rise of streaming companies such as Netflix and Amazon, TV writing can prove lucrative. Finding new talent is crucial for the BBC as established writers such as Phoebe Waller-Bridge are being snapped up by exclusive deals with the streaming services.